Karachi attack: Navy blames air force for poor security

Karachi, May 30 (IANS) The Pakistan Navy Monday blamed the air force for poor security conditions at a naval base in Karachi - where 14 people were killed in a deadly attack last week - saying the real target of the terrorists were the US-made P-3C Orion planes.

A 15-hour siege that began on the night of May 22 at the PNS Mehran base led to the death of 14 people, including four terrorists. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Navy officials told the media Monday that the terrorists entered the base from the area controlled by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and that the responsibility of security of that area lay with the PAF, Online news agency reported.

The terrorists destroyed the Navy’s P-3C Orion aircraft with rockets, they said.

The government of Sindh province Sunday formed a joint investigation team of police and various security agencies to probe the attack, Geo News reported.

The team would comprise of police, Military Intelligence (MI), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Pakistan Rangers and other agencies.

The team, besides investigating the terrorists’ link within Pakistan and the outside world, would also focus on security lapses.

Four men suspected to be involved in the deadly attack have been arrested in Karachi.